CALD participates in Fourth ICAPP General Assembly in Seoul

(September 10, 2006/ Seoul) The FourthGeneral Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) ends today in Seoul, Korea with the participation of a strong delegation from the Council of Asian Liberals & Democrats (CALD) and its member parties.

Among the participants to this four-day major gathering are CALD and Liberal Party (Philippines) Secretary General Dr. Nereus Acosta, MP; Hon. Dr. Buranaj Smuthraks, Hon. Kiat Sittheeamorn and Hon. Kasit Piromya of the Democrat Party of Thailand; Sdr Dr. Kin Woon Toh, Sdr A. Kohilan Pillay and Sdr Loong Thye Chia of the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia; and, Representatives Henedina Abad and Dr. Manuel Mamba of the Liberal Party of the Philippines.

Dr. Acosta made a presentation in behalf of CALD. He emphasized that CALD is the first regional organization of political parties in Asia having been founded in Bangkok last December 1993. CDI Asia Pacific made a pronouncement January this year during its launching in Manila where it claimed to be the first body of Asian political parties.

Dr. Yoo Jay Gun, MP, of the ruling Uri Party of Korea, met with the CALD delegation in order to discuss how to deepen exchanges of ideas and policy between and among CALD members and observers. The Uri Party is an observer party of CALD.

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Speech of Dr. Nereus Acosta, Congressman, House of Representatives-Philippines and Secretary-General, Liberal Party of the Philippines and Secretary-General, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD)

Greetings –

On behalf of the Liberal Party of the Philippines and our President, former Senate  President Franklin Drilon, I wish to thank the Uri and Grand National Party for the splendid welcome and gracious hospitality you have accorded the Fourth Assembly of the ICAPP in Seoul.  We thank as well the Standing Committee, chaired by Speaker Jose de Venecia of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, for this fourth opportunity via the ICAPP to continue meaningful exchange among political parties and parliamentarians across the vast, diverse and increasingly important continent of Asia.

The Liberal Party of the Philippines takes special pride and concern in strengthening democratic institutions in our country and among other countries of the region for a number of reasons.  First, the LP is the one of the oldest parties in the Philippines, founded in the glow of post-war independence in 1946.  Second, the LP – founded on the principles of liberalism, freedom, social justice and national sovereignty – fought the Marcos dictatorship for over 14 years, sacrificing in fact its own Secretary-General, Benigno Aquino, who was assassinated in 1983, sparking a ‘people power’ movement for freedom and democracy which ushered in the presidency of Aquino’s widow, President Corazon Aquino, in 1986.

Third, the LP, led by then Senate President Jovito Salonga, voted to end over a century of American military presence in the Philippines in 1991 with the historic Senate vote rejecting a new treaty for Clark Air Base and the Subic Naval Base, the two largest military bases outside the continental US.

Fourth, the LP – adhering to the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law — in 1992 became a founding member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), the first regional grouping of its kind for liberal-democratic parties in the region.  The CALD, which is also an observer in the ICAPP and which I serve as its current Secretary-General, includes among its core members the Democrat Party of Thailand, the Sam Rainsy Party of Cambodia, the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan, the Singapore Democratic Party, the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka, the Parti Gerakan Rakyat of Malaysia and the National Council of the Union of Burma – and as associate member, the Liberal Forum of Pakistan and Dr. Martin Lee of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong, and as observers, the Uri Party of South Korea, the Congress Party of India, and the Party of Democratic Struggle of Indonesia.

As we speak of peace and prosperity in Asia, the Liberal Party and CALD recognize as well the real challenges we face across the region in three critical fronts.

First, despite the spread of democracy and freedom across the region and the dismantling of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, we face threats to democratic processes and institutions – whether in the form of a curtailment of civil liberties, the eroding of democratic mechanisms for public accountability and redress, even extra-judicial killings, the setback of reform and renewal of institutions, the questions of legitimacy, widespread corruption and institutional integrity – notably seen in the political crisis and tumult over the last year in our country and that of Thailand.  As political parties in Asia, recognizing that democracy is a never-ending work or process in courage and vigilance, there is the constant need to consolidate gains in the expansion of democratic spaces to secure basic freedoms, the rule of law, a clear respect for human rights, and social justice.

Second, there is a growing need to expand and deepen cooperation and collaboration among parties in Asia in the arena of economic, technical and educational exchange.  In an era of dizzying change and globalization, we need to look at the existing mechanisms within our region – ASEAN, ASEAN plus China, the ASEAN Regional Forum – to address pressing needs for freer but fairer trade, responsible investments that adhere to the requirements of sustainable, environmentally-sound policies on resource-use and management, and the need to bridge the technology and information divides among and within our societies.

And finally, we must seek to build stronger social cohesion in the region, which is made more pressing because of common threats that affect us all and require coordinated action: terrorism, climate change and environmental degradation, SARS/HIV-AIDS, human trafficking, endemic corruption, widespread poverty.

The tasks for us as political parties remain daunting, but with meaningful policy initiatives and strong political resolve, we have every reason to hope and believe that the much-touted Asian Century is the kind of promise it is made out to be for our countries and our peoples — an Asia that is strong, increasingly democratic, prosperous, progressive, socially just, and at peace with itself and its neighbors.

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This post was written by CALD